December 5, 2022

December 5, 2022

This morning we returned to explore more of Tongariro National Park. The park encompasses a cluster of active volcanoes. We climbed the perimeter of conical Mt. Ngauruhoe yesterday. To its south is the higher snow-capped Mt Ruapehi. We park and hike the Taranaki Falls Walk. This circular trail traverses the alpine saddle between these two peaks.

It takes an hour for us to reach Taranaki Falls. It is a picturesque waterfall that plunges from a window in the basalt cliff face. The hike ends near the historic Chateau Tongariro Hotel. We stopped in for lunch but were told that they are only serving guests because of staffing shortages. We have heard that all over New Zealand. To service the seasonal tourist trade, New Zealand relies heavily on international employees which are only just beginning to return after the long border closure.

The only place we found to eat lunch at this tiny outpost was from a food truck. We ordered a toasted ham and cheese 'sammie'. While eating I saw a bright red Cinnabar Moth flying around. Unlike most moths, it is a day-flier.

Our next stop was the National Park Visitor Center. Tongariro is the oldest in New Zealand, becoming a National Park in 1886, only fourteen years after Yellowstone. We watched the park film about volcanic activity in New Zealand. The North Island has lots of active volcanoes and has a long history of eruptions. In 1953, 151 people died in a train disaster when the volcano above us took out a bridge. Just three years ago, 21 tourists died when White Island erupted.

Based on a ranger recommendation we drove to the ski field several mules uphill from the Visitor Center. The landscape below the snow-capped peak is a barren moonscape of basalt lava. I assume it looks less hostile in the winter when blanketed in snow.

A few miles below the Visitor Center, we stopped to do the short hike out to Tawhai Falls. This scenic cascade is nicknamed Gollum's Pool because a scene from the Lord of the Rings was filmed here.

On the way back to Turangi, we stopped to hike around Lake Rotopounamu. We didn't count on the twenty minute uphill hike to reach it. Tired, we just walked a small bit of the perimeter. Surprisingly we heard more birds on this short hike than we have in all of New Zealand.

For dinner we had a pizza at the pub. It was our first mediocre meal.